Choosing a Fly Reel. The Line Holder and More.

Choosing a Fly Reel.
More Than Just a Line Holder?

When choosing a fly reel many anglers will tout that the fly reel is merely a line holder.

Others will frown at this statement and tell you that a good drag system on your reel is a must.

So who’s right?

Well, they both are.

When I fish my uncle’s farm pond the majority of the time I’m catching hybrid bluegill. In most cases I can fight the fish by stripping line and never really need to go to the reel. For this reason the reel simply acts as a line holder.

More often than not though bass will see my panfish fly as an easy meal and the fight is on. This is the case where a good drag system comes in handy. Without it, those largemouth would most certainly snap my leader and run off with another fly.

Let’s take a look at the drag systems and other qualities to look at when choosing a fly reel.

Fly Reel Drag Systems

The fly reel drag system is a mechanical device in your reel that is used to add tension to your line when a fish makes a run and strips line from your reel.

On most models the drag can be adjusted on the side of the reel with the turn of a small knob. Turn the knob all the way to one direction and the drag will stop the reel almost completely. The fish snaps the leader and is gone along with your fly.

An even worse scenario is the when you turn the knob completely the other direction with no tension at all. The fish make a long run that strips all your line and backing. If you didn’t tie your backing to your reel with a good strong knot there is the chance that the line will snap there leaving you with an empty reel.

Setting your drag is properly is just as important as the system you choose.

There are two types of drag systems on the market today. The spring and pawl and the disc drag system.

Spring and Pawl

Spring and pawl drags are the traditional drag system for the fly reel. They’re also commonly called “click and pawl” or “clicker” drag because of the sound they make when engaged. They are harder to find nowadays with all the rave about disc drag systems. They are still a quality system for catching smaller fish such as panfish.

The spring and pawl drag system is simple in design. The have a small triangular piece of metal that clicks on a gear inside your reel. A spring is attached to the triangle and when adjusted provides more or less tension as needed.

This system’s advantage is that, with a good spring and pawl, the drag is really smooth with little “jerkiness.” A drag that jerks or doesn’t keep consistent pressure on a fish when it is running is going to cost you a fish in most cases.

The bad part about this system is that they won’t work as well on larger game fish as a good disc drag system will.

Disc Drag

Disc drag systems are the newest type of drag system available. Similar to a car’s disc brake system they have a pad inside the reel that puts tension on the line. The amount of tension is again adjusted by a knob on the outside of the reels that puts more or less tension on the disc.

When the disc drag system first came out there were concerns about their “jerkiness.” The spring and pawl system still has the upper hand to most cheap model disc drag systems in terms of smoothness. But the disc drag has come a long way and is the best choice for larger fish such as bass.

Type of Retrieval

How the line is retrieved is the next issue to look at when choosing a fly reel. There are three types of retrieval– single action, multiplying, and automatic.

Single action retrieval is the most common type and is the only one I would suggest buying.

A spin reel with a 4 to 1 ratio will spin the spool four times with one turn of the crank. This is not so with a single action fly reel. It has the ratio of 1 to 1, so a turn of the crank equals one turn of the spool.

As you may have guessed, a multiplying retrieval will spin the spool quicker for a faster line retrieval.

An automatic retrieval will automatically retrieve the line with the simple push of a button.

So, why is the single action the only one I suggest when the others are faster?

First off, like I said earlier, most of the time you will be able to land a fish without ever going to your reel, so why spend the extra money for a multiplying or automatic retrieval? But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Multiplying and automatic reels have more hardware involved to perform their task. Extra gears, means extra weight. This can cause your arm to get tired faster.

Add to the fact that the more gears and mechanics you add to anything, the more likely they are to break down. This is especially true on the automatic fly reels.

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple S. (add derogatory term that fits here). By keeping it simple a single action reel is the lightest and most reliable.

Other Considerations

There are other considerations to keep in mind when choosing a fly reel.

Balancing - Make sure it matches the weight rating of your rod and line.

Weight – To reduce arm fatigue try to get a light weight reel.

Arbor Size – The new thing nowadays is the large arbor reel. Although they are not absolutely necessary, they will reduce line memory (coils in your line that can cause tangles) and increase the amount of line retrieved with a single turn.

With all this in mind you should have a good idea of what to look for when choosing a fly reel.

Although a reel is an important part of your fly fishing outfit, it is probably the least important. With that said, if you are on a tight budget and have to choose between a lower priced rod, reel, or line. Choose the lower priced reel and get the best rod and line you can, within reason.

Now that you got a heads p on choosing a fly reel, return to the fly fishing outfit page and read the article on choosing a fly line.

Or click here to return to the home page for other fly fishing information.

Speaking of fly line there is one additional tip I would like to add when buying a fly reel.

There are many different fly lines that have different characteristics. While out on the water you will sometimes find it necessary to change from one line to another.

It is a good idea to already have an extra spool for your reel rigged up with the proper line.

Extra spools can be purchased when you first buy your reel and it's a good idea to get one then. Manufacturers are constantly updating their equipment and when you try to buy an extra spool a year down the road you may find it is no longer available.

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